Bot the most inspiring photograph but behind this pile of vegetation lies a story. This is hottentot fig, which is a highly invasive plant species introduced into gardens in Jersey from South Africa, in about the middle of the 19th Century. The plant spreads and regenerates very quickly smothering the native vegetation along large sections of the south west coast. A consequence is that it destroys the habitat of a number of native spevies such as the Green Lizard and the Dartford Warbler.
The only effective means of getting rid of the plant is to pull it out by hand, which is obviously time consuming and then ideally it is burnt. At the moment I am working with a couple of local primary schools, with the children working towards their John Muir Award, a nationally recognized environmental award. Over the next few weeks we will be exploring this area in some detail including removing some hottentot fig, this was today's contribution.
Very satisfying and showing that people can make a difference.
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